Atomically dispersed Ce species adjacent to Ni nanoparticles as hydrogen scavengers for efficient catalytic ammonia decomposition
CeO2 serves as an essential support or promoter for catalysts in ammonia decomposition, especially those based on Ni, yet its direct contribution to promoting NH3 activation and H2 desorption has rarely been understood. Here, we prepare a Ni-Ce-Al trinary catalyst with high-loading (66.5 wt%) Ni nanoparticles. Connected by the Al2O3 framework, these Ni nanoparticles are surrounded by abundant atomically dispersed Ce species consisting of Ce single atoms and clusters. The activity-stability trade-off induced by intrinsic Ni sintering on the CeO2 support is overcome, achieving a high H2 production rate of 324.0 mmol gcat−1 min−1 at 600 °C. The promoting effect of CeO2 has been elucidated, originating from the alleviation of hydrogen poisoning. Atomically dispersed Ce species with high hydrogen affinity serve as scavengers for adsorbed H atoms (H*). The strong tendency to form Ce3+‒OH groups facilitates the migration of H* from Ni nanoparticles to the oxide, releasing poisoned Ni sites and promoting NH3 activation. Ammonia can store clean hydrogen, but nickel catalysts often lose activity during release. This study shows atomically dispersed cerium species help clear hydrogen from nickel sites, boosting ammonia decomposition.
Authors
- Liangwei Liu
- Ke Gong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0845-5101)
- Sunpei Hu
- Ming Zuo
- Lili Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0817-7372)
- Shui Lin
- Jie Zeng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8812-0298)
- Wu Wx
- Hui Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1719-4345)
- Han Yan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7865-4368)
- Jincheng Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7215-8307)
- Zizhen Xiao
- Yongjie Ye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0093-7993)
- X X Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6674-1811)
- Haofan Lei
- Tao Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5182-8959)
- Hao Lei
- Xiaobao Li
Institutions
- University of Science and Technology of China (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Nankai University (CN)
- Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (CN)
- ShanghaiTech University (CN)
- China National Space Administration (CN)
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (CN)
- Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter (CN)
- Anhui University of Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-06-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74913-0
- Primary Topic
- Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Salt Science Research Foundation
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Fundo para o Desenvolvimento das Ciências e da Tecnologia
- University of Science and Technology of China
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis
- Yulin University
- Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province
- National Key Research and Development Program of China
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
- Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy